Effects of fine‐scale genetic structure on male mating success in gynodioecious Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima

Plant mating systems are known to influence population genetic structure because pollen and seed dispersal are often spatially restricted. However, the reciprocal outcomes of population structure on the dynamics of polymorphic mating systems have received little attention. In gynodioecious sea beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima), three sexual types co‐occur: females carrying a cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) gene, hermaphrodites carrying a non‐CMS cytoplasm and restored hermaphrodites that carry CMS genes and nuclear restorer alleles. This study investigated the effects of fine‐scale genetic structure on male reproductive success of the two hermaphroditic forms. Our study population was strongly structured and characterized by contrasting local sex‐ratios. Pollen flow was constrained over short distances and depended on local plant density. Interestingly, restored hermaphrodites sired significantly more seedlings than non‐CMS hermaphrodites, despite the previous observation that the former produce pollen of lower quality than the latter. This result was explained by the higher frequency of females in the local vicinity of restored (CMS) hermaphrodites as compared to non‐CMS hermaphrodites. Population structure thus strongly influences individual fitness and may locally counteract the expected effects of selection, suggesting that understanding fine scale population processes is central to predicting the evolution of gender polymorphism in angiosperms.     

Preliminary estimates of the potential for carbon mitigation in European soils through no-till farming

In this paper we estimate the European potential for carbon mitigation of no-till farming using results from European tillage experiments. Our calculations suggest some potential in terms of (a) reduced agricultural fossil fuel emissions, and (b) increased soil carbon sequestration. We estimate that 100% conversion to no-till farming would be likely to sequester about 23 Tg C y^–1 in the European Union or about 43 Tg C y^–1 in the wider Europe (excluding the former Soviet Union). In addition, up to 3.2 Tg C y^–1 could be saved in agricultural fossil fuel emissions. Compared to estimates of the potential for carbon sequestration of other carbon mitigation options, no-till agriculture shows nearly twice the potential of scenarios whereby soils are amended with organic materials. Our calculations suggest that 100% conversion to no-till agriculture in Europe could mitigate all fossil fuel-carbon emissions from agriculture in Europe. However, this is equivalent to only about 4.1% of total anthropogenic CO₂-carbon produced annually in Europe (excluding the former Soviet Union) which in turn is equivalent to about 0.8% of global annual anthropogenic CO₂-carbon emissions.     

Loss of Butt-End Leg Bands on Male Wild Turkeys

ABSTRACT We estimated loss of butt-end leg bands on male wild turkeys (Meleagris gallapavo) captured in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (USA) during December-March, 2006–2008. We used aluminum rivet leg bands as permanent marks to estimate loss of regular aluminum, enameled aluminum, anodized aluminum, and stainless steel butt-end leg bands placed below the spur. We used band loss information from 887 turkeys recovered between 31 days and 570 days after release (x̄ = 202 days). Band loss was greater for turkeys banded as adults (>1 yr old) than juveniles and was greater for aluminum than stainless steel bands. We estimated band retention was 79–96%, depending on age at banding and type of band, for turkeys recovered 3 months after release. Band retention was <50% for all age classes and band types 15 months after banding. We concluded that use of butt-end leg bands on male wild turkeys is inappropriate for use in mark-recapture studies.     

大麝鼩韩国种群与俄罗斯远东种群之间的遗传分化:基于线粒体Cyt b 基因的分析

为重新分析韩国大麝鼩种群与相邻的俄罗斯远东种群之间的遗传分化情况,我们获得9 条来自韩国4 个地点和俄罗斯3 个地点的大麝鼩线粒体细胞色素b 基因(Cyt b)全序列,并将其与来自GenBank 的4 条Cyt b 全序列和4 条Cyt b 部分序列进行比较。结果发现韩国的大麝鼩并非只有一种基因型,因此,在利用Cyt b 部分序列进行种群遗传学分析时需格外注意。基于Cyt b 全序列分析,发现韩国的大麝鼩与俄罗斯远东地区的大麝鼩之间存在1.08% 的平均JC 距离和7 个位点的差异,推测韩国的大麝鼩与俄罗斯远东地区的大麝鼩在包括末次冰盛期在内的很长时期都没有进行过遗传交流。目前的测序结果不支持当前认为大麝鼩为单系群的亚种分类理论,支持韩国大麝鼩是C. l. thomasi 亚种的分类理论,但还需进一步对中国东北地区的样品进行测序分析后才能最终确认。     

Molecular cloning and expression pattern of 14-3-3ζ from the malaria vector, Anopheles sinensis

14-3-3 proteins are known to play a pivotal role in cell survival, apoptosis and signal transduction. The 14-3-3ζ isoform has been cloned and characterized from many eukaryotic organisms, including the fruit fly and silkworm. However, no study on mosquito 14-3-3 has been reported to date. In an attempt to investigate the function of 14-3-3 in midgut epithelial cells undergoing apoptosis, a cDNA library was generated from the malaria vector, Anopheles sinensis , which was treated with apoptosis-inducing Actinomycin-D. We were able to identify and obtain A. sinensis 14-3-3ζ cDNA ( Ansi14-3-3ζ ) from expressed sequence tags (EST) analysis after conducting massive sequencing of the A. sinensis cDNA library. Ansi14-3-3ζ has very high homology to 14-3-3 homologs of various insects, such as Anopheles gambiae (100%), Aedes aegypti (100%), Drosophila melanogaster (96%), Bombyx mori (93%), Apis mellifera (93%) and Mus musculus (81%), indicating that mosquito 14-3-3ζ is a highly conserved gene in diverse organisms. Analysis of temporal expression patterns showed that Ansi14-3-3ζ mRNA is highly expressed in egg, early pupae and adult stages and is also expressed, although at low levels, in fourth instar larvae and late pupae. In response to two immune elicitors (lipopolysaccharide and laminarin), no striking induction of 14-3-3ζ mRNA was observed in A. sinensis . Further studies of the precise biological function, inducibility and subcellular distribution of 14-3-3ζ are required in Plasmodium invasion-induced apoptotic midgut cells in A. sinensis in the context of the Time Bomb model.     

Deficits in Implicit Attention to Social Signals in Schizophrenia and High Risk Groups: Behavioural Evidence from a New Illusion

Background

An increasing body of evidence suggests that the apparent social impairments observed in schizophrenia may arise from deficits in social cognitive processing capacities. The ability to process basic social cues, such as gaze direction and biological motion, effortlessly and implicitly is thought to be a prerequisite for establishing successful social interactions and for construing a sense of “social intuition.” However, studies that address the ability to effortlessly process basic social cues in schizophrenia are lacking. Because social cognitive processing deficits may be part of the genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia, we also investigated two groups that have been shown to be at increased risk of developing schizophrenia-spectrum pathology: first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and men with Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY).

Results

We compared 28 patients with schizophrenia, 29 siblings of patients with schizophrenia, and 29 individuals with Klinefelter syndrome with 46 matched healthy control subjects on a new paradigm. This paradigm measures one''s susceptibility for a bias in distance estimation between two agents that is induced by the implicit processing of gaze direction and biological motion conveyed by these agents. Compared to control subjects, patients with schizophrenia, as well as siblings of patients and Klinefelter men, showed a lack of influence of social cues on their distance judgments.

Conclusions

We suggest that the insensitivity for social cues is a cognitive aspect of schizophrenia that may be seen as an endophenotype as it appears to be present both in relatives who are at increased genetic risk and in a genetic disorder at risk for schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. These social cue–processing deficits could contribute, in part, to the difficulties in higher order social cognitive tasks and, hence, to decreased social competence that has been observed in these groups.     

Cloning and blood‐meal dependent induction pattern of apolipophorin‐III from Anopheles sinensis

Apolipophorin‐III is known to play a role in transporting lipids in insects, and much attention has been paid to lepidopteran insects' apolipophorin. Thus, we were interested in examining the effects of blood‐meal on the expression pattern of apolipophorin‐III in mosquitoes. This led us to clone and partially characterize the full‐length cDNA of apoLp‐III (AnsiApoLp‐III) from Anopheles sinensis. Analysis of AnsiApoLp‐III cDNA shows that the 728‐bp sequence has a 582‐bp protein‐coding region with 94 bp of putative 5′ untranslated region and 152 bp of 3′ untranslated region. The deduced amino acid sequence begins with a methionine codon at position 95 and extends to position 674, encompassing a polypeptide of 193 amino acids. AnsiApoLp‐III has the highest identity (63%) to Culex quinquefasciatus apoLp‐III. Temporal expression pattern analysis shows that although AnsiApoLp‐III was expressed at all developmental stages, it was highly detected at egg and adult stages in the female mosquitoes. In addition, we found out that AnsiApoLp‐III was induced in An. sinensis adult females after uptaking a blood‐meal. Spatial expression patterns of AnsiApoLp‐III shows that AnsiApoLp‐III mRNA was strongly induced at day 1 and gradually decreased from day 1 to day 4 in the ovaries. Most interestingly, AnsiApoLp‐III mRNA in the Malpighian tubule was strongly induced at day 1, decreased during days 1–3, and then became elevated again at day 4. These data suggest that blood‐meal influences AnsiApoLp‐III mRNA induction in ovaries and Malpighian tubules. It remains to further elucidate the biological roles of AnsiApoLp‐III in these organs.     

Divide to conquer: a complex pattern of biodiversity depicted by vertebrate components in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

The identification of northern and southern components in different vertebrate species led researchers to accept a two‐component hypothesis for the Brazilian Atlantic forest (BAF). Nevertheless, neither a formal proposal nor a meta‐analysis to confirm this coincidence was ever made. Our main objective here was therefore to systematically test in how many vertebrate components the BAF could be divided by analysing existing empirical data. We used two approaches: (1) mapping and comparing the proposed areas of vertebrate endemism in the BAF and (2) analysing studies mentioning spatial subdivisions in distinct forest‐dependent vertebrates within the biome, by the use of panbiogeography. The four large‐scale endemism area components together with the six small‐scale panbiogeographical ones allowed the definition of three BAF greater regions, subdivided into nine vertebrate components, latitudinally and longitudinally organized. Empirical time estimates of the diversification events within the BAF were also reviewed. Diversification of these vertebrates occurred not only in the Pleistocene but also throughout the Miocene. Our results confirm the BAF's complex history, both in space and time. We propose that future research should be small‐scale and focused in the vertebrate components identified herein. Given the BAF's heterogeneity, studying via sections will be much more useful in identifying the BAF's historical biogeography. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, ??, ??–??.